This section provides background information related to power-operated door systems for motor vehicles which is not necessarily prior art to the inventive concepts associated with the present disclosure.
In view of increased consumer demand for motor vehicles equipped with advanced comfort and convenience features, many modern motor vehicles are now equipped with passive entry systems to permit locking and release of vehicle doors without the use of traditional key-type manual entry systems. In this regard, some of the more popular features now available include power locking and unlocking, power release, power cinching, and power opening. Most of these “powered” features are typically integrated into a latch assembly mounted to the vehicle door and which is equipped with a latch mechanism and one or more electrical actuators controlling operation of related mechanisms including, for example, a latch release mechanism, a child-lock mechanism and a cinch mechanism. The power door opening feature is commonly provided by a stand-alone power-operated door presenter assembly operable, in coordination with the latch assembly, to move the door from a closed position to a partially-open position so as to subsequently permit the user to manually move the door completely to its fully-open position. Alternatively, the power-operated door presenter assembly can be integrated into the latch assembly.
Typically, the power release feature and subsequent power opening feature have resulted from actuation of a switch or sensor mounted to, or associated with, the outside door handle on the vehicle door following user authentication (i.e. via a key fob). In many arrangements, the user is required to pull on the outside door handle to actuate the power release function. In addition, some outside handle systems include an illumination arrangement to provide added convenience, such as is disclosed in U.S. Publication No. US 2013/0130674. However, attention has recently been directed toward development of “handleless” doors, namely passenger doors without an outside door handle, to provide a more aesthetic and aerodynamic vehicle profile. In such arrangements, a door-mounted release switch, commonly mounted on the applique associated with the vertical pillar section of the door, is actuated by the user to initiate the power release (and power opening if available) function following the user authentication process. This user activation can be with or without physical contact (i.e. microswitch, capacitive switch, IR, IR TOF, LIDAR, radar and/or voice activation, etc.) with respect to the door-mounted release switch.
While current power-operated handleless door systems are sufficient to meet all regulatory requirements and provide levels of comfort and convenience, a need exists to continue development of advanced technology and provide alternative arrangements and features that provide enhanced comfort and convenience to the user.